As she slowly filled her pack with the few belongings she had acquired during her time aboard the Razor Crest, Kasia found herself unable to swallow the lump in her throat. It didn't seem real, the idea that she was going to leave—that she was going to have a new home. Because that was what the Crest was to her—no matter how old or beaten up it was, it had become a home to her, this ship and these people.
After her and Din's discussion, Din had made quick work of finding a nearby spaceport, touching the Razor Crest down with ease and refueling as Yrel made his way into the port in search of a transport. All the while, Kas had made the most of her time playing with the child, trying to convince herself that it wasn't the last time she would do so.
A short while later, Yrel had arrived back at the Crest with the news that he had found a transport which would take them as far as Mimas, a moon which was only a short distance away from Kimiji, and which departed in approximately two hours—leaving Kasia with limited time to pack.
Despite all her time aboard the vessel, Kasia had only a few worldly possessions to show for it, namely the clothing Omera had gifted her back on Sorgan. Her breath caught as she stumbled across the leather jacket the woman had given her and without a second thought, Kasia quickly put it on, smiling at the snug fit.
Still, as she put her hand through the armhole, Kasia's arm gave a sudden burst of pain where one of Xi'an's knives had slashed a deep cut. Wincing, Kas glanced down at the wound, her heart tightening as she beheld the expertly wrapped bandage.
As if on autopilot, Kasia's mind flashed back to the moment the wound had been wrapped, shortly after she had decided to join Yrel and journey to Kimiji to meet her kind.
Kasia hissed and jumped to her feet, cursing loudly as she became aware of the trickle of blood which had begun to slowly drip from the forgotten wound at her arm.
"What's wrong?" Din asked quickly, glancing over his shoulder to see what was the matter while Kasia continued to curse in a loud and rather creative manner. When he noticed her clutching her arm, a sheepish smile on her lips, he sighed. Without a word, he turned back to the front of the ship, turning it to autopilot; the course to the nearest spaceport was already plotted so he could afford to leave the helm for a few minutes.
Kasia frowned as Din rose to his feet, eyes widening when he made his way towards the door. You coming? she heard him ask silently a moment later.
A small smile soon replaced the frown on her lips as Kas slowly followed after the Mandalorian, eyes now filled with understanding as he slowly made his way to where he stashed the rarely used medical kit.
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I fucking hate your girlfriend," Kas told Din with a groan as she sat on a nearby crate, still cradling her hurt arm as she pouted.
Ex-girlfriend, Din corrected her silently as he made his way back over toward her, now holding a rag, a bucket of water, and medical supplies.
Kasia gestured meaninglessly with her left hand. "Semantics," she replied with a weak grin, her brain somehow now feeling the pain in her arm as she became aware of the injury.
Din gave no smartass reply for a moment, before slowly opening one of the boxes of medical supplies and holding out a hand to her. "Here, take these," he instructed her quietly, sheepish embarrassment emanating from the Mandalorian in waves.
For a moment, Kasia frowned down at the pills in her hand in incomprehension. Then, her eyes cleared as she understood what she was peering down at. It was pain medicine, though Kasia knew they had already run out of the medicine which Omera had gifted Kasia before she left Sorgan. Kasia didn't know where Din had gotten the medicine, but her eyes burned slightly at the idea that perhaps he had gotten it solely for her.
"I thought you were too macho for pain medicine," she teased him with a small grin before swallowing three of the pills and a gulp of water. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to Din, unable to hide her nervous energy as he slowly dipped the washcloth in the bin of water, raising his head as if waiting for her permission to begin.
She nodded.
Slowly, Din cleaned the cut as he had with her bullet wound, applying the medical ointment, and then wrapping her arm in a bandage—though this time the bandage obstructed her mobility significantly less.
Finally, he stepped away, walking momentarily out of sight before remerging with a glass of water. Kasia flashed him a quick smile of gratitude which still managed to make the Mandalorian's heart race before downing the cup in a few sips.
Kasia handed the glass back to him, pausing for a moment as she noticed a dark stain below his left collarbone in a gap of his Beskar armor. She realized a moment later it was dried blood from where Din himself had suffered a knife wound at Xi'an's hand.
And perhaps it was because it was one of the last days on the ship, perhaps it was because she knew there was little chance of seeing him again, but Kasia rose to her feet, her gaze still pinned on the injury as she murmured quietly, "You're injured too."
Din's response was quick and steadfast, leaving little room for argument, "It's nothing."
At the too-quick reply, however, Kasia sat back on her heels and raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Of course it is," she nodded sarcastically. "But just to be safe, I think I'll be the judge of that."
Under his helmet, Din blushed slightly. Still, his voice was calm as he replied, "I'm fine."
"Oh, and what? You're going to try to cauterize the wound with an electric shock from your rifle again?" Kasia glanced, resisting the urge to cross her arms—that would undoubtably hurt like a bitch. When Din failed to reply, Kasia clucked her tongue as she shook her head in mock distaste. "Just what I thought. You're honestly going to kill yourself one of these days."
He leveled her with a deadpan stare. "Says you."
At the sarcastic reply, Kasia pursed her lips, "Touché." She paused for a moment before her voice softened, eyes losing some of their sharp humor. "Come on Din, let me help you. It's the least I can do after... everything."
It was the way she called him Din, the way she used that name which he had not been addressed with by anyone in so many years, the gentleness with which she spoke. But unconsciously Din found himself nodding, reluctantly agreeing to let her treat the wound.
At the grudging acceptance, Kasia beamed, closing her eyes and turning around to give him the privacy to change out of his armor. Luckily, both Yrel and the child were sleeping, so it was just the two of them in the hull.
Din fought down the sudden panic that surged at the thought of removing his armor in front of Kasia. They had been in the same room when he had taken off the armor at night in Sorgan, but that was different. That was the nighttime when they were both exhausted and wanted to do nothing but sleep and the taking off the armor to sleep was nothing more than a mere necessity while this was... not. No, this was an entirely different level of intimacy.
Still, Din hesitantly removed his Beskar, leaving him clad only in an undershirt and pants. Luckily, the wound was high enough on his body that he didn't need to take off the undershirt itself, being able to pull the top of the shirt down to clean and wrap the wound.
The Mandalorian cleared his throat to tell Kasia that it was okay to turn around now and, after a moment, the Eulentian woman did, trying not to let her eyes widen as she blinked at the man in front of her. She tried not to think about how his muscles were even more visible through the close-fitting undershirt, how it was only his helmet that remained which kept her from knowing what he looked like.
A beat too late, Kasia nodded down at the seat where she had sat while he had tended to her arm wound, silently biding Din sit. Her actions were slow as she treated Din's wound, deliberate while she quickly cleaned it and put the medicine on and wrapped his shoulder while he merely stared at her the entire time, his helmeted gaze burning a hole through the side of her head and-
Kasia shook herself as the lump in her throat grew larger with the memory. It was certainly not time to think about such things—not when it was practically time for her to leave.
She didn't let herself reflect on the moment any longer as she returned to packing her bag.
*.*.*
Kasia didn't fight the tears which rose in her eyes as she pulled the child into a hug, his small hands wrapping around her neck tightly. She didn't know how much the kid knew—for some reason she was still unable to read his thoughts and feelings—but he seemed to understand that she was leaving.
"I'm going to miss you, ," she murmured softly as she pulled away and peered into his large brown eyes. The child frowned, tilting his head as he brought one of his small hands to cup her cheek. At the contact, Kasia's eyes shuttered closed, her heart constricting with emotion.
Agonizingly slowly, Kasia dropped to one knee, placing the child gingerly on the ground. She hated to leave him, her heart raging against the idea even as her brain reminded itself that she had been waiting to reunite with her people for many years.
After placing the child on the ground, Kasia slowly turned towards Din, finding the Mandalorian already gazing back at her from beneath his visor. For a moment, the two of them merely stared at each other, Kasia's face impossibly soft and her eyes almost sorrowful as she peered at him.
Taking a breath, her eyes widened as realization suddenly struck her. "Oh, I uh, these are yours," she breathed as her hands fell to the twin heavy pistols at her sides, awkwardly beginning to unstrap the blasters as her hands shook.
Suddenly, Kasia became aware of two gloved hands wrapping around both wrists. Her mouth dropped open in shock as she found Din standing in front of her, his hands halting her from continuing to return the pistols.
"They're yours," he told her quietly.
And there's the damn lump again, Kasia thought as her breathing caught at Din's words.
"I- thank you," Kas finally said in response, not knowing how to convey what the gesture meant to her. Nodding, Din swiftly let go of her wrists, taking a step away. She paused before confessing, "I'll miss you—both of you."
Din stared at her for a moment, the emotion flowing from the metaled Mandalorian silently returning the sentiment. Finally, he nodded, aliit ori'shya tal'din... we will see you again, Kas.
At the Mando'a, Kasia crinkled her nose, not sure what he was saying. Still, from the way that Yrel's eyebrows raised imperceptibly and the emotion flowing from the Mandalorian in front of her, she figured it was a good thing.
So, not allowing herself a moment to deliberate the idea, Kasia stepped forward, embracing Din quickly before darting away, cheeks flushed.
"Goodbye... Mando," she muttered as she turned, moving to follow after Yrel who had bid Din and the kid goodbye before Kasia. And so, with one final glance over her shoulder, Kasia Torelo made her way into the busy spaceport as Din Djarin stared after her until she was nothing more than a face in the crowd.
*.*.*
"aliit ori'shya tal'din" means "family is more than blood" in Mando'a.
Sorry, more angst... a bit of fluff too but mostly angst lol.